The enigmatic, experimental French filmmaker Chris Marker has died at the age of 91. Born with the name Christian Francois Bouche-Villeneuve, the director and artist is both widely unknown, and hugely influential.

After a life of avoiding media interviews, often sending in a picture of a cat to journalists who requested a photo of him - Marker's films remain the best way to understand him. Among his masterworks - films such as "Sans Soleil", "Cuba Si!" and "La jetée." The last of those depicts a post apocalyptic world. It also inspired the more recent Terry Gilliam film - "12 Monkeys."

Eric Cazdyn teaches in the department of film studies at the University of Toronto. He also counts Chris Marker as one of the greatest influenceswhen on his life and work. We reached Eric Cazdyn in Toronto.